Putting green and similar playing surface



T. MCC. FAI'RBAIRN .ET AL PUTTING GREEN AND SIMILAR PLAYING S'UHIMCE` vFiled Nov. :14. 1922 WIM/ESSE zens of the United States, and residentsfof =ijDurango,

Parma: oef. 27, 1925.

, 11,559,526 UNITED STATES PATE-Nrforrlgg.

THOMAS MccULLocn FAIRBAIRN, 'or T LAnUnLILog-DRANGO, )mx-Ico, :AND ALBEM SAMUEL VALDESPINO ANnRoBERrMCAnT, JR., oFgE'L Paso, TEXAS.

summe GREENAND smrn'an rnayrnq, 's u an 'alipliatiafnleano'vember 14j-1922. "serial Naopai,

To all whom it. 'ma-1 concern:

Beit known t at We, THOMAS MQCU'L# 1.0611 FAiRAInN, a subject ..of theKings-f.' Great Britain, anda resident o f 'T1ah1'1a1ilo,` Mejico, anl ALBERT- SAMELYAFL 11n-seine and ROBERT McCann Jr.,': bothv citi- El Paso',` in the county of El Paso .andLState of Texas, have invented proved Putting Greens. and Similar Playing Surfaces, ofv which-"the followingisafull, clear, and .'exact description. i'

. The present invention relates v.to v'fieivfaiid ed for use in connection green fromsand,. clay', oilsan'd, an similar materials. ever, have disadvantages,

structing the surfaces of lplaying fields, v'and uCOIISIHCZ the' green 'S0 H135 the initial CQS' while the present methoc pertains; to .p1a'y." it isparticularly adapt-- with the sur-face.of'4 putting greens`f or golf'courses."

In the construction of, putting 1 greensA is commonly employedbut there are r sections where oiv'in to the. arid?. condition o'f the land'"vegetation-Will not. .,r'grow..4 lIn such localities" itl 'has heretofore vbeen Leoni- V ing fields generally,

' mon in the 'construction .of golf courses,

build the surface known as @the f Futtingl other such' as eachplay er cleaning uporsmoothingfout the surface of the green after he has finished playing thereon so that-the green willbe-"inplaying conditionafter' each succeeding. player.4 This necessarily reatlyincreases the time each player spen son--the putting greenand as a consequence reduces the speed-o f"-1Fig.2'is afsimil play and likewlse' the number "vof' persons ed in the aforementioned manner; varies 1 green surface,n

'which vcan be accommodatedron; a course.

Further, in wetweather lputtin igreel is..v4 of'thisnatu-re become muddyfan are ren. dered unplayable. Still `further, in weather putting greens o f 'this tyze* are undesirable for the reason .thathey;bake.4 and become hard and dusty. Furthermore, the .surface of putting greens col1s`tuct--,

from time to' time, and the player -is 'therefore more or lessat aflossto determine t-lie' proper amount of force toa'pply to avball 1n making a stroke.y L

It is. one of the objects of the present invention toprovide 'a surface for puttin0v-v greens especially adapted foruse on ari land, Which surface will`be as near-as possible -play without'- disturbing` 'or 4ideal puttinggreensurface'.

use material, in which acertanIjamount-#of- 'n resistant 'to moisture,

' It is al further object of ,the invention to thereof is materiallyreduced over the cost if buildin ,-a' rassfgreen.

A It is a' 'rt use a material whic -bined with afbinderwhennecessary.

It is alg-:further object ofjtheinventioriv'lto usefa material which will. withstand heavy playing surface thereof.

' Itis a still further object of theinventinv which' if' desired may fjbe` dyed to simulate or imitate a grass? putting .These-materials, vhow- 1g A .l

'-Witlrthe' above and other objects in view,j 85

'- use a -material reen.

referenceishad 'to Vth er ob ectl of the invention may be' readily 60m- Q- e invention-to use a material which in-itself-,is more or" less vthus 'eliminating -.the

niugdyf surfaces "1 aforementioned inwet ear 1.1

affecting the i so ly modiiied .foi-in 'ofzthe invention.'-

R fai-ring m'ore' -particularly 'to the drawings, the reference character v5 -clesign'ates' the tion maybe of any nature, suelafor example a`s' 1oa1n,'sand, earthyisubstitute, f

.The Vreference-1 e'lmracter 6 which foundaic1ay,or any y other similar `v tlieand said surface isrolled 'of v-a" p 'utting green .constructed inaccorde u 'anche with the present invention,said figure showing the first step in'makin t l1e g'reen..

`into tliefffoundation-. in A'a manner 'to lie- .1

l1ereina`fter-more specifically described.

In? carryingout. the invention -tlie base any earthy's'ubstance, is prepared 105 `which may consistasheretofore stated 1 of A -b' 'leveling or undulatingfthesurface thereof epend-y ent upon' the 'nature -o'f sur-face which4 it is desiredto obtain inthe imshed putting homogeneous vportions' still retain av certain amount of golf'courses. Owi

green. After this habeen' accomplished, the surface is covered witha suitable ilocfnlent mass, and saidfloocul'ent mass 1s. cour. pasted b trolling or b .any iother suitable method or placm `sai ilocculent mass-funder compression. hi-le'any mass of'a flocculent nature maybe employed inl this connection', it das-been 'found that a most desirable surfz'ai'ev can be had'b' the use' of.' ground cotton' seed hulls in Wnch the huli cotton fiber-adhering the-reto.

In the cotton industry the seedv is extracted from the bollnba ginning-process, the seed being a by-p `uct-joa abe'of'use in many different connectio;.' s. -v. he hulhhngrezer, has* to be removed-fromme seedand Vuntilsaid. hull is delinted 4it'.'contaiu'sa portiodstlll struction of' olf {puttii' `greens? is materiallyreduc'el in cos't,' aiiy ,at the same time, this cottonseed Ahull lWith the cotton' adheringv thereto if ground, 'will form when placedunder compression, -a-'flocc'ulent 'mass capa-l g i ble of withstandingmoisture' and variationsl binding the cotton seedhulls lnto a homoin temperature,`and will ;prodl'ice a fibrous body providing 4a'su'rface friction to a de- `e which renders the material verygsiiitf ablefor surfaces' of putting' greens 'ofgto.- the presence of; the cotton which adheres; to the y'small portions 'of the cotton seed hull, the fibrous mass or body is capable of absorbing liuids and' consequently" the'saine may beidye in simulation of grass, thus giving a more natural appearance to the putting"green. 1

In the construction of the'.. .green vthe flocculentgmateri'al is laid u on the base ,and in the rolling to compress t e'occulent miiteri alinto a combined with a material constituting the baseif-such material be softened vor loosened inits` reparation. In some eases it maybe.

'desire lle'to usein connection'with the iloc-4 culent material, a binder, such as boil, tar, or otherV suitable binding agent, and such bind# ing agentl 'serves to form `an integral or, mass,"' and,` at the same time, serves to prevent the absorptionuof too much moisture' if 'the' putting een be sub-2 jected -tothe action of the e ements over. an extended wetperiod. "This form of the nvention is illustrated -in` Fig.'3;

A putting green constructed in accordance 'with theforegoing method will wit stand heavy play and will promotethe speed of play since 'the surface is not disturbed in laying thereon, and, consequently,does not l ave to he restored as is the case with sand greensf Furthermore,'suclr a surface has the advantage overgr'ass greens in that andthat the method if con foregoing manner provides, a. i putting oceulent mass, the'same'is also it does ynot need constant cutting, wettin 'and other-operations which are necessa 'maintaina grass green in first-class p ay- 66 in condition.'

'roin the foreg 'the presentinvention provides a proved method for constructin ding 'it is apparent` 'that new and iingolf courses reen of an artificial naturewhich has a reahstieefect lwith all the advantages and green. Weclalm; 1; A surfaqing,

ucted in the A.characteristics ofa-natural growing grass 7 'n'i'aterial 'for puttin material and a viscous substance binding the occulent material into a homogeneous mass. 5

2. A su'rfaeing material` for putting greens, comprisin comminuted vegetable Vmatter of'a iioocu ent nature anda viscous substancebinding the vegetable matter into a a homogeneous mass.

f3. A surfacing material for "golflputting re'ens consisting of crushed cotton seed hulls with fibers thereon, and 'a viscous substance 6. A putting green, comprising 'crushed cotton seed hulls withfibers thereon compressed into a'l homogenepus'mass around a trap. 4 7. 'A' p cotton'seed hulls with fibers thereon, and a binding substance, compressed into a holnogeneous mass around-'a'trap` utting green, comprising crushed iois eencomprising commi? l compressed l i'nt'o a homogeneous mass around a trap,nda `green coloring matter. applied to the mass,

roduced having arealistic effect .and poswhereby. an artificial green is sessing` the advantages and characteristics "of a natural grass coveredgreen l9. A putting fg'reen comp'rrs'ifn cotton seed ,hullswith fibers thereon, and aindin sub-2 stance," the whole compressed into a" omov{ ,reneous mass around a trap and :having a coloring "substance applied thereto to cause it to simulategraSS; 

